The Road Home

[abrightboy]

Raylan's loose ends had been tied in Kentucky and Malcolm's were as tantalizingly close as they'd ever been. He and Raylan made the trip to New York with the intent of discovering the fate of the girl in the box, so they could head down to Miami without... baggage.

They would have to start with the revelation Jessica and Ainsley had made to Malcolm right before Raylan was shot, sending Malcolm back to Kentucky: that Eve had infiltrated the Whitly family to learn more about the Surgeon's victims.

Malcolm let them into the New York loft - a space he considered theirs now, more than his, since they decided they might weather the hurricane season there after moving to Miami - smiling as Sunshine tweeted greetings. Once the door was shut behind Raylan, he opened the door of her cage. Ainsley would have fed her diligently, but nobody would have let her out to fly. Sunshine took off across the loft and Malcolm grinned, watching her go.

He looked at Raylan. "We can still bring her with us when we leave, right?"

Comments

[abrightboy]

Malcolm stared at the page of the book he'd flipped to, then looked up at Raylan.

"There's a memory fragment I sometimes see. It's been a little while; I'd almost forgotten. I'm kneeling over a person who's lying on the ground. Holding a pocket knife. My father is holding my hands from behind. Guiding them towards the person's ribs with the blade."

[tinstar]

Raylan frowned gently. "This happen at the cabin?"

It was the only trip he was aware of that Martin would have had with the time and freedom to give such detailed lessons. "Do you remember who it was?"

[abrightboy]

"I think so," Malcolm told him. "It's the same knife. I don't know who the v... person was. I don't even know if it was a man or a woman. They were wearing some sort of... padded vest. I don't..." He frowned faintly and looked up at Raylan. "I don't know if I actually hurt them."

[tinstar]

Victim. Malcolm hadn't wanted to use the word; Raylan assumed it was because he wasn't sure if the person was dead yet or not. Either that, or he was trying to keep it from becoming a proper case in his own head. A clinical divesting of emotion for the sake of sanity.

"No matter what the answer to that is, you know it's okay, right? We're gonna figure it out," he reassured, one hand smoothing over Malcolm's shoulders. "What's this got to do with Eve?"

[abrightboy]

If he didn't say victim, maybe the person wasn't dead or wasn't real. Maybe he didn't stab some innocent person between their ribs.

He was staring at the page, but Raylan's touch and voice made him look up at him, some amount of consternation smoothing out of his features at it.

"I don't know yet. But my father brought the girl in the box on that camping trip. She knows something about the girl in the box."

He closed the book and put it on the counter.

[tinstar]

Raylan doubted that Malcolm did but.. There would always be a fraction of 'but'. A fraction of worry that Martin had forced Malcolm to do something that would, now as an adult, ruin the fragile state of mind he'd maintained.

"Eve can wait and so can the girl," he said, gently sliding the notebook away from Malcolm to offer himself as a replacement, free hand on the counter as his off hand moves to the side of Malcolm's neck. "For at least one more night. I got no doubt that you'll spend the whole morning goin' over what you're gonna say and how she might react.. So let's try to relax tonight before divin' into gettin' you outta here and into a beach house with me."

In case Malcolm's mind needed to be reminded of their end goal. A little light to make the lack of answers a little less disappointing.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm's eyes lifted to his face, fluttering faintly at the touch of that hand.

A beach house with Raylan. All they have to do is solve one case.

He pushed himself out of his seat and up against Raylan, throwing his arms around the Marshal's neck, holding on tight, pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

"It's going to be so soon," he murmured there.

timeskip to the next morning?

[tinstar]

It would never stop being amazing, the effect he seemed to have on Malcolm and he knew he'd never get tired of doing this, of reassuring Malcolm that they had things under control, that things would be okay. That's all he wanted for Malcolm.

Resting his face on Malcolm's head, he breathed him in and pressed a kiss to his hair, arms tightly wrapped around Malcolm's center, one hand spreading over his shoulder. He had to set a goal post - three weeks was his best guess, to wrap everything up, to talk Malcolm into boxes and getting him down to Miami where they could start their life again.

"We're gonna be okay." He pulled back a little, a hand shifting up to cup Malcolm's face. "You're not doin' any of this alone. Now," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss. "Let's talk about gettin' you out of that suit and into somethin' more comfortable, hmm?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled broadly, backing towards the bedroom, towing Raylan by the hand.

"I don't think I have any clothes that are... beach clothes. We have to go shopping when we get to Miami."

[tinstar]

"We'll have to buy you some," Raylan replied, following along happily until Malcolm broke away to head to his dresser for comfortable clothes. Sitting down on the bed, Raylan worked his boots off, one by one. "By the way, I know Quantico and I bet they don't cover bedtime safty."

Scooting his boots to the side, he pulled Malcolm's drawer open. "No bullet in the chamber, safety on," he said as he reached in, withdrawing the gun and pausing. The gun was set on the dresser as he reached in again and pulled out a mouth guard. Staring at it for a second, he turned his head and lifted it towards Malcolm.

"What's this?"

[abrightboy]

Turning around grasping a t-shirt, Malcolm held his hands up.

"I didn't leave a bullet in the chamber, I sw..."

Oh. Raylan wasn't holding the gun.

"That's my mouthguard," he said, shifting his weight slightly. "I used to wear it when I went to bed. So I wouldn't bite my tongue or... grind my teeth."

[tinstar]

He quirked a passing smile at the lift of Malcolm's hands, but he was far more focused on the answer.

"But you don't anymore.. Somethin' change?" Or was it because of him being there? That was the only logical reasoning that Raylan could think of. "If it's because of me and you still need it.." He should probably be wearing it.

[abrightboy]

"I... it's not... I mean, the potential injuries it protects me from are minor..." And are only risking potential injury to himself and nobody else in the bed, more relevant to his concerns. "And it's... staggeringly not sexy," he admitted. "Plus I imagine it's impossible to make out with it in my mouth...."

[tinstar]

"But large enough to require a mouth guard," he argued lightly. "Malcolm, I-.." He looked at the mouth guard again and shrugged. "If you're ashamed of this.. don't be.. Teeth are important. I don't want you to hurt yourself." His face curled. "And it's not like it's glued in there."

[abrightboy]

“I don’t know if ‘ashamed’ is the right word, but it sure doesn’t make me feel... desirable.” He looked at it for a second, then reached out and took it, slotting it into his mouth. He gestured towards it, then took it out. “Hot, right?” he joked, fidgeting with it. “It really gives me that ‘hockey player in the middle of a game’ look.” He looked from it to Raylan. “It might muffle my screams a bit, though.”

[tinstar]

Raylan pushed himself up to his feet, padding over with one hand propped on his hip, the other gesturing out towards Malcolm as he closed the distance. "Darlin', I don't care what you've got in your mouth, I think you're the most beautiful man that I've ever seen."

His face pinched a little, good naturedly, as he slid his gesturing hand around Malcolm's waist. "Is it okay to say that? I don't know what the rules are with word choice there." He turned a warm, reassuring smile onto his fiancée, soon to be husband. "You'll have to let me know what you like."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled softly up at him, free hand resting on his chest, the other holding his mouth guard curled away from where his forearm rested against Raylan's chest too.

"It's okay to say that," he assured. "I like it a lot." He leaned up to kiss him then looked at the mouthguard. "Okay. I'll... start wearing it again." He kissed Raylan again. "When we're going to sleep." One more kiss. "But if it starts to put you off me, it's gone," he teased.

[tinstar]

Raylan hummed quietly into the kiss, face breaking into a pleased, full tooth smile at Malcolm's approval and he leaned into the second kiss and third kiss easily, like a reed blowing in wind of Malcolm's words.

"Never gonna happen," he promised. "If you start wearin' it out to dinner I might have to reconsider but I don't think that mouth guard matches too many of your suits."

[abrightboy]

The wearing it out to dinner comment got a full and real laugh out of Malcolm and he looked at the mouthguard and then at Raylan. "I'll keep it in the nightstand or in my mouth. Promise."

He reached over and set it on the nightstand, then, so he could slide both hands around Raylan.


When his terror came, the mouthguard did, indeed, muffle his screaming a little. When he woke up, he turned his head and spit it out before burying his face in Raylan's shoulder.

Come proper morning, he was again his perky morning self, with coffee in the press and a yoga mat on the floor, bending himself into a careful pretzel while he tried to keep his mind calm before their meeting with Eve.

[tinstar]

A laugh was always a treat. A treasure to be hoarded and appreciated all on its own.

Raylan smiled in approval as Malcolm came back to wrap his arms around him and the Marshal sank into him easily. There shouldn't be any doubt about where he wanted to be, mouth guard or not. He'd handled the restraints without much issue, this was nothing.

When the night broke back into screaming, Raylan jolted awake and to his task, wrapping himself around Malcolm until he woke up and then some. It didn't matter that it always left him heavy breathed and feeling guilty for taking part in Malcolm's dreams, that was all soothed by Malcolm tucking into him like he was the only thing that was keeping the worst of his panic and terror at bay. Eventually, he almost always fell back asleep and unbothered when Malcolm finally slipped from his grasp.

Raylan loved waking up to the view of Malcolm stretching and twisting himself into shapes, a mostly peaceful expression caught as he moved from pose to pose. With a soft groan and stretch of his own, Raylan rolled over and into an upright position, hair wild and bedtussled.

He wasn't even going to say anything. Just sit and enjoy being in this space, being allowed in this space and welcomed to be comfortable in it.

[abrightboy]

As Malcolm shifted positions, he opened his eyes. He spotted Raylan and smiled brightly, like he was seeing the sun for the first time in days, lowering himself to his knees.

“Hi! How’d you sleep?” After the screaming. He always meant after he ruined the first attempt.

He pushed to his feet, padding over to crawl onto the bed to claim some morning warmth as Raylan answered, wrapping his arms around the marshal’s neck and pressing his forehead to Raylan’s temple.

[tinstar]

Who could argue with being greeted with that face?

"Mm, like a rock once I went back to sleep. A few days sleepin' in and I'll be fully stocked on rest," he answered as he pulled Malcolm into his lap, head tilting to lean against Malcolm's with a heavy, deeply contented sigh.

"Any chance you already got coffee goin'? I suppose we can't linger too long, hmm?" If they could, well - he could easily waste twenty or thirty minutes in bed with his fiancée before catching the shower he no doubt needed.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm lifted his head, but only so he could lean in to give Raylan a lingering kiss, fingers playing at his collarbone. "Coffee is ready." He kissed him again. "But there's no rush." One more time. "We have all morning."

He took a breath, staying in Raylan's space, fingers a little more fidgety.

"If this girl she's looking for is the girl..." He lifted his eyes to meet Raylan's. "We might have to talk to Dr Whitly again."

[tinstar]

Humming softly, it was clear that Raylan was in no hurry to get out of bed. If the circumstances weren't what they were, he'd pull Malcolm into bed and ravage him before greeting the day. But that idea died with the mention of Martin Whitly, like many other things tended to.

His face fell into a soft seriousness and he nodded his head. "I'll try not to punch him this time. I don't doubt that he won't.. see us. As we are." Together, in the way they were, no matter how they tried to hide it in front of him.

"Are you ready to handle that?"

[abrightboy]

The way Raylan liked to make love with abandon in the morning was just the best way to start the day.

At his question, Malcolm lifted his eyes to meet Raylan’s with quiet resolve.

“I don’t care what he says. We’re getting married. None of his mind games can take that from me or make me less happy and proud about it.”